Emerald Eyes
by Eternal-Nysa
Summary: V:tMWtA. The last two months of a vampire hunter. A dhampyr. With two Garou as allies while the rest of the race would take her life and a detective gathering information for a man about his kidnapped daughter. PG-13 for Violence and Obsenities.
1. Ireland, March 15th 2004

Disclaimer: I don't own White Wolf or anything having to do with it. I'm just a fan with a big imagination. Don't sue me! :)  
  
Traveler-of-Snow raced through the Irish highlands in his snowy lupus form. Uncommon to the surroundings, he stood out against the mostly flat landscape.  
  
'The Wyrm is near.' The Silent Strider lowered his muzzle to the cold ground as he slowed, his delicate nose sniffing the ground in an eight pattern. It was faint.  
  
A shadow moved out of the corner of his eye as a sudden whiff of the Wyrm filled his nostrils, setting flame to his senses. Lifting his head, his lips drew back to reveal long, sharp canines. It was a threat in itself but the growl that came with it made it three times the threat it was before.  
  
'Bastard..' The wolf's growl subsided in his throat as he began to run again, his four legs normally moving faster than the mask this prey took if it had been what it pretended. He caught up with the shadow, another growl emitting from his throat as he switched quickly between lupus and crinos, the Garou battle form.  
  
Traveler-of-Snow rammed his shoulder against the Wyrm taint, knocking the moving shadow from its run. It was quick though. Quicker then anything natural as it righted itself and landed in a crouch in the steppe grass field.  
  
"Artemis.." it growled. The thing looked human. 'His' hair was long and a vibrant red even in the night with only the celestial bodies to cast light down on the otherwise dark world. It lifted its head as it looked at the massive crinos before it. Its eyes glowed dark red with Hell's flames, "I see you.." It laughed mockingly as the crinos took on a neutral position, a hard thing when rage threatened to blind the Garou.  
  
"Why?" The Garou growled, "Why them?" The Crinos rushed the wyrm taint but it saw the attack just soon enough to avoid it as it hopped aside, its pale fangs glimmering in the moonlight, mocking the garou, "Eradication of a threat. You should understand that of all people, Artemis. They outlived their purpose."  
  
Traveler-of-Snow snapped. His rage took his form, shaking it in a fury just barely restrained as the crinos' massive claws swung at the kindred again. His claws sharpened suddenly, sparkling in the pale light a second; it was a gift from a spirit. Perhaps one of the first most Garou got but the Galliard was no fighter.  
  
His claw sunk deep into the arm of the surprised kindred, "Why you little..." the words turned to a scream as something snapped, the bone cracking as the claws snapped the calcium deprived mass like a brittle piece of wood; rotted from the inside and then its claw went up and through the head of the enemy.  
  
The body burst into dust just as a massive shadowy tentacle threatened to stab the Galliard from behind.  
  
.. but it wasn't from the Silent Strider's claw. Traveler-of-Snow looked up at the crinos to his left. Like himself, the crinos was about his height but he was younger. Not too much younger but young enough.  
  
"Luther." Traveler-of-Snow stated, the rage brewing deep in the Galliard's form.  
  
Luther's form changed, his bones visibly contorting and the sound would have made any human cringe. The muzzle distorted before becoming more humanoid; his paws extended and narrowed as they took on the shape of fingers.  
  
"Lay off. It's done. She is avenged." His voice trembled slightly, the wound still fresh on the man's mind.  
  
"Both are avenged.. The woman and my ward -- "  
  
"-- And she was my wife." Luther cut in before turning to walk away from the ashen mess. "This place reeks of Wyrm.." he trailed off as he kicked a more abundant pile.  
  
Bones cracked and the strange sensation that accompanied the change happened. There was pain; always pain but he had grown used to it. It was something deeper within his very soul that brought him closer to Gaia. A type of ecstasy that he could find no where but in the change. And he had looked.  
  
hr  
  
A/N: Well, that's it for Chapter 1. I haven't written anything in forever. I'm not sure if this would be Chapter 1, really. As you can see when I get the next section posted; I just can't think of the word.  
  
Edited: Edit on March 17th. St. Patrick's Day. 


	2. Two Months Previous

... 2 Months Previous ...  
  
Chloe sat in the Starbucks, one leg propped on a chair across the table from her as her other tapped against the leg of the chair she sat on impatiently. They had traveled to London from Toronto. It had become unsafe and the risks were too high to chance an encounter.  
  
The Caern, much to the surprise of a host of other supernatural entities, had prevailed against the Sabbat in their time of disorientation after taking the city from the Camarilla months ago. Questioning among ranks was never the best start for setting up a new core.  
  
Chloe's right leg tapped in rhythm with the underground band playing in her earphones, hidden by the short mass of Irish red hair and green eyes; green eyes that seemed to glow with anticipation. Traveler-of-Snow had always commented it gave her away; her eyes did. The Wyrm was as much part of her as the eccentric Silent Strider's teachings.  
  
One in a trillion. Virtually an impossible anomaly: A dhampyr. That was the German word for it. It seemed to fit a lot better than "half- breed" or "Half vampire" or even "Freak of Nature." Many times the Silent Strider had been forced to push the girl into hiding. Florence; Brussels; Barcelona; All in the same week if it meant her existence would be disguised from both the Garou world and the Kindred world.  
  
Chloe drew her hands together, her eyes catching the sparkle of the diamond of the band on her ring finger. It was simple and gorgeous. Luther had given it to her a week before they left Toronto, sealing any doubt in the young woman's mind that if the Glasswalker was ever found out, he would never betray her.  
  
Two arms slipped over the woman's shoulders and she jumped as she instinctualy moved her hand down to the slender black canister beneath the false sleeves of her shirt. It held a wooden stake. While not enough to kill a vampire, it would give her the few moments needed to regain her senses or so she had assumed.  
  
"Hey there. Calm down." Luther stated breathily beside Chloe's right ear as he removed one of the earphones with a light tug. "It's daylight."  
  
Chloe chuckled before drawing in a deep breath, "So far. I just haven't been this close in so long.... to Him."  
  
Luther nodded in agreement before taking a seat beside his fiancé. "Artemis wants to meet with us soon. Our week of rest is over and it's time to actually get into Ireland." He grinned a moment before adding, "I can only imagine how jumpy you'll be when you're actually –in- Ireland."  
  
Chloe let out a mock gasp of astonishment before giving Luther's right upper arm a playful whack. The blonde haired man raised his hands up, giving in with a playful grin, "Well.. look at it this way. The sooner this is over, the sooner we can have our wedding and have blissful romantic nights that don't ever end."  
  
"And eventually children." Luther added.  
  
Chloe blinked before hmming, "I suppose so. I'm not sure if I'm capable of that." She cast a side glance at Luther curiously and saw the slightly worried look cross his features, the one where he furrows his brows in deep thought. "We'll find a way." Chloe added quickly with a smile.  
  
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A/N: Damn real life responsibilities. ( 


	3. Meeting

The rest of the afternoon had passed in swift succession. The two lovers had taken lunch out of the restraunt across the street from the Starbucks onto the busy sidewalks. The street was pretty upscale with the gutters clean; at least to the naked eye.  
With the doggy bags – which Chloe poked fun at the coincidence with the Glasswalker – in hand, they strolled down to a park a block over. It was well kept save where an irresponsible teenager had tossed a soda can or two at the hoop shaped trash bins and missed, leaving the aluminum cylinder to roll a foot before stopping from loss of momentum.  
Black asphalt paved the way through the park, making a scenic surrounding without actually leading the people into the scenery. It gave the city types some sense of connection back to Gaia; whether real or imagined depended on the person.  
The duo followed the asphalt as it curved out of view of the main entrance before stepping into the scenery. Fifteen feet in, the copse of trees was thick enough that nothing could see into it from the path although it opened up on the opposite end to the vast field where, down the hill from where the copse of trees stood, dogs and owners played games during the summer and into the fall before cold set in with the ever constant dreary rain.  
"Looks good." Luther commented as he plopped down onto the inch high grass. Immediately, he dug into one of the bags and withdrew a white Chinese box and dug into the chicken fried rice contained within.  
Chloe glanced down at Luther as he ate with a faint smile. She did realize how lucky she was that Luther wasn't her enemy once he had had his first change. She worried when she was confronted by his Garou heritage. She knew exactly what it meant and the problems that could have arisen from it..  
.. but it didn't happen. The killing blow didn't land and when she opened her eyes a few moments later, she witnessed his change back into his homid state; the state of the human banker that could probably hack his way out of a seamless steel cage. Looks and intelligence: very rare but the change made her cringe.  
They held onto one another in the dark streets of Toronto that night. Both frightened; both knowing nothing would ever be the same.  
Chloe dropped down beside Luther and leaned against his shoulder. She sensed more then saw him pause in mid-bite, his nostrils flare as he breathed in the faint scent of the Wyrm that infested half of Chloe's lineage. The half she desperately tried to hide with various perfumes because she knew it troubled him even though he'd never admit it to her face.  
Luther went back to eating, a wave of silence washing over the couple as they sat in the copse.  
  
A man walked across the field, nimbly dodging a dog and his master as they threw about a dark red Frisbee. His niveous hair fell to his waist. It stood out against the dark blue, unbuttoned shirt which he wore over a tighter fitted white shirt and blue jeans.  
He was European. Maybe Austrian if one looked close enough. His skin was pale and his form lean. Traveler-of-Snow, or Artemis, glanced down at the canine, his eyes locking with it for a quick moment. The message was transferred and the golden retriever ran back to his master, snagging the treat from the unlabeled bag at his feet.  
Artemis smiled briefly before his gaze turned to the hillside overlooked the field. A copse of trees stood on it and two figures beneath it. He paused in his casual stride as he watched them from a distance contemplatively.  
It was dangerous; their relationship. Imagine the potential for disaster if his young ward could give birth. An abomination. Artemis shuddered at the thought, pushing it back from his mind. He'd deal with that when the time came. No need to upset her before perhaps the most important confrontation in her life – up until this point.  
He glanced up from his thoughts at his name, his human name. His young ward was waving to him.  
  
Chloe's green eyes burned brightly as she scanned the area around herself. Her eyes landed on the Galliard in the middle of the field. He stood completely still. Chloe frowned and moved to her knees before waving toward him, "Artemis!"  
Artemis crossed the field and climbed the hill until he came within arms length of the two. He sat down across from them, tugging lightly at the Levi jeans that made him uncomfortable.  
After he had settled, he began to speak, "I bought us tickets on a private jet. The owner was running low on funds and he transports cargo between the two. He agreed to give us passage over the major airlines." He grinned ferally, "Don't have to sell Chloe's services off."  
Not letting the horrible joke sink in, the lupus-born Artemis continued as he glanced over his shoulder, the man and dog still within sight though the man was speaking with another woman who glanced repeatedly upward at the trio on the hill, "We're being followed. That woman down there has been following me for the last half mile."  
Artemis reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out an envelope. He handed it over to Luther and stated crisply, "Burn the envelope after you commit the address to memory."  
Luther nodded before the trio rose and went their ways.  
  
The woman, Mercedes, was an undercover detective of Scotland Yard. She talked briefly with the owner of the Golden Retriever. He was utterly boring as he tried to impress her. Mister Donovan would be pleased with the information she would retrieve on his daughter and her kidnappers, one being a man that the young woman had become obsessed with shortly before he whisked her away.  
Mercedes gave the gentlemen she 'spoke with' a smile and a nod as he asked her something she didn't catch before he continued on. Luckily, it seemed the man could hold two sides of a conversation easily...  
  
A/N: That's it for this chapter. Can you feel the plot building? Eh. =P :purrssss: 


	4. Mercedes

Disclaimer: I don't own creator titles to White Wolf ideas/merchandise/etc. I'm just a fan with a big imagination – and little patience for delay. (  
  
Mercedes walked down the length of Main Street, the feeling of self- satisfaction evident in her light walk. Ever since she had gotten into that mess with the defendants last year, the one where she was found following her prey who, in his anger, had shot and killed three pedestrians, Scotland Yard had placed the woman on probation to review her four years with them.  
  
Mercedes had thought that it was the end of her career. What is a private investigator without benefactors? If Scotland Yard let her loose, she wouldn't have enough money to pursue independent investigations... but then Mister Donovan Galway had come into her life, four months after the initial suspension from her duties without pay.  
  
The sun danced fitfully as it tried to cling to the last reminiscence of Mercedes' golden brown locks before vanishing for another night beyond the horizon as the investigator turned into an alleyway off the side of the London's Finest – which was in fact nothing more than a slum tavern and bar with cheap entertainment. Even the beer was off the stale end which lead some to believe more happened there than the front business.  
  
"Heya Suga. Back ta drown ou' da day?" the barkeep, Pete, asked as Mercedes pushed passed the burly thug by the door who kept careful watch for the authority of London.  
  
"Nah. Seen Galway?" Mercedes responded as she slid onto a stool opposite the barkeep as he ran a darkly tinted rag over one of the shot glasses.  
  
Pete lowered the shot glass and rag to the grimy bar counter as he commented, "Suga really dun wan' ta git involved wit 'im." The barkeep pursed his lips as he continued, "'e ain't a nice feller.."  
  
Mercedes cut the dirty bartender off with a wave of her arm and a decrescendo of her hand, "Cut the warning, Pete. I know what I'm doing. How's the mead tonight?"  
  
"It's doin' mighty fine, Suga." A smooth voice came from behind her.  
  
Mercedes whirled around on her barstool, the spinner groaning beneath her weight as she came face to face with a red haired Irish man.  
  
"Now now, Pete. Talkin' bad about me so early in the evening?"  
  
"Nah, Mis'a Galway. Waz jus'.." Pete was cut off again, his lips this time, however, unable to form any words much to his dismay.  
  
"Shall we, Suga?" Donovan asked, imitating the now frantic barkeep, as he extended a clean cut arm to Mercedes. "Tell me all about what you've found. I'm sure it will be worth my while."  
  
A/N: Just introducing Mercedes a bit more. The first appearance of Donovan! Yay! 


	5. Letters and Dates

Disclaimer: I don't own White Wolf or its merchandise patents, etc. Don't sue me. hr  
  
"What is it?" Chloe asked as Luther withdrew the envelope from his jean pocket and unfolded it.  
  
They had hurried from the park, carefully keeping watch for the woman but saw no intent of them being followed. After an hour of walking around in circles, they turned into their hotel.  
  
"I'm not sure. Let's find out. We have to burn it afterwards so we'll both need to memorize it." Luther commented as his index finger contorted, changing to something resembling a claw to cut the top of the envelope cleanly before returning it to its homid form.  
  
Chloe reached forward and grabbed the envelope before falling back on the bed with a laugh as she withdrew the thrice folded paper.  
  
"Huh..." Chloe's lips voiced her confused thought, the laugh instantly gone as she furrowed her brows quietly.  
  
"Mercedes de` Leone. Scotland Yard." She murmured as she read the paper, flipping the front page over to the back as she said continued, "Suspended without pay for the death of three civilians while on duty."  
  
Luther crawled on the bed to look at the papers in Chloe's hands before flipping to the final page, different from the rest because it was in Artemis' hand.  
  
"4228 Velmont. 8 PM. Don't be late."  
  
They both glanced sideways at one another, their gaze meeting a moment in recognized, fluid thought before nodding as they began to pack their bags.  
  
hr  
  
A/N: I seem to be losing my motivation for the middle of the story. :grins: 


End file.
